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Stone Keepers
DM * DM Chae Players * Anyn, changeling druid * Ekt Johnsmith, bugbear cleric * Hallorn d'Lyrandar, half-elf sorcerer * Mollie, human barbarian * Tamiyah Athéhsa, shifter monk * with special guest appearances by Ivello d’Medani and Bluebell the Karrnathi Hound Noteworthy NPCs * Priscilla ir'Korran, female gnome, Morgrave antiquities scholar * Cherls ir'Gyrand, female half-elf, Morgrave alchemy professor * Roni, graduate student and research assistant * Drag, male troll, helped the Wayfinders in Shamukaar * Gudruun, male goblin, lives in Khyber's Gate, avid collector of eyes * Faela, female half-elf, missionary to Fallen * Thariv, Ivello's long-lost brother * Junius, human male, cult leader resurrecting the petrified radiant idol * Sythrael, radiant idol Introduction You receive the briefest of briefings at Wayfinder HQ, in which you learn only that your client, Priscilla ir'Korran of Morgrave University, has requested assistance with a theft. She contracted with another group of Wayfinders a couple days ago to investigate a ruin in the Cogs, but the team has not checked back in, so their mission status is unknown. The HQ does not know whether your mission is related or not. You are directed to meet at the Golden Horn for a full briefing - presumably with your new client, who has requested the utmost discretion. As you arrive here at one of Upper Menthis Plateau's upscale inns, it is late afternoon, and the inn has not yet begun its dinner rush. A mustachioed half-elf, apparently the maître d', makes his way over to you, asking if he may be of assistance. You mention the code phrase, "I am here to meet a friend in the Green Room." He sighs long-sufferingly, then strides to a door at the side of the foyer. "The Green Room will be ready soon. Please, enjoy our private lounge while your other friends arrive." As you enter, you see plush couches and fine wooden furniture. You feel a thick rug beneath your feet, and the room smells faintly of hickory from the fireplace burning merrily in the corner. Two expensive-looking candlesticks sit atop the mantel, flickering dimly in the greater roar of the fire beneath. As the maître d' shuts the door softly behind you, you can overhear him mutter, "Oh…More adventurers. How splendid." He sighs again as his footsteps briskly depart. Summary The Wayfinders are summoned to a job by Priscilla ir'Korran, a Morgrave antiquities scholar. There has been a theft from her offices, and she requests assistance. The items stolen were a research notebook and fragment of a statue’s hand, previously in the possession of her former colleague, Hildegard. Hildegard’s life work was dedicated to determining the reason for the fall of the Glass Tower almost a century ago, but she disappeared on an expedition to Fallen about 70 years ago. Before her disappearance, her working theory according to the recently-stolen notebook was that it was not a terrorist attack as commonly believed, but related to a magical ritual and a petrified creature. Priscilla also had a fragment of a statue’s eye, believed to be from the same statue. This was in the antiquities lab undergoing analysis, so it was not stolen at the same time as the hand & notebook. The Wayfinders head to the antiquities lab. On the way, Anyn stops by to see an old acquaintance, Cherls ir'Gyrand, an alchemy professor. The Wayfinders (minus Anyn) speak to Roni, the slightly-scatterbrained graduate assistant in the lab. Roni informs them that the statue’s eye had no signs of sculptor’s marks, suggesting it was formed through magical means. However, when Roni goes to retrieve the eye, they realize it was accidentally auctioned off due to aforementioned scatterbrainedness. Roni is able to determine from auction records that it was sold to someone named Gudruun in Khyber’s Gate. Meanwhile, Anyn picnics with Cherls, and decides to ask a couple questions around to see if anyone saw the breakin. They determine that a woman claiming to be Hildegard came to the office, and since her name was still on the door of her old office, the janitor didn’t realize she didn’t belong. There were also two men with her in little more than rags sporting an unusual tattoo. However, Anyn doesn’t bother to tell anyone else they did this casual investigation. The Wayfinders head down to Khyber’s Gate without actually investigating the crime scene. Or even knowing that Anyn has any information. Hmm. Oops. On the way there, they learn that there has been a recent disturbance in Khyber’s Gate, some kind of rumored ‘doomsday device’ that had undead roaming unchecked through the streets. The Wayfinders would remember that another team from the Foundation was dispatched to the Cogs shortly before this event happened…a curious coincidence. The Wayfinders make their way to the Shamukaar, a bustling tavern filled with goblinoids and all sorts of monstrous races. Inquiring after the identity of “Gudruun”, Anyn flashes a copy of the tattoo that was spotted on the men breaking into the office. Anyn and Ekt try the house brew, which ends up with Anyn realizing it tastes like regret, and becoming inebriated and poisoned for the next hour due to their stomach’s unfamiliarity with *dar* beverages. Eventually, the Wayfinders end up drawing the attention of Drag, a towering troll and Daask lieutenant. Drag is apparently familiar with Ketaal and Cade, other Wayfinders who were there recently. He directs them how to find Gudruun, who is unfortunately near the epicenter of the undead outbreak. He also recognizes the tattoos as being that of ravers from the district of Fallen, though he is not specific *how* he knows this. In exchange for his knowledge, he merely asks that they deliver a ‘charitable donation’ for him to the church in the district of Fallen. As they leave, Ekt notices a group of *dar* who seemed to be taking an unnecessary interest in the group. Unsurprisingly, the group leaves with them, shortly thereafter attempting to mug them. The Wayfinders fight them off without too much incident, though several hobgoblins and a cloaked thief (a goblin female, tall and beautiful by their standards, with a gold nose ring) escape. The Wayfinders alert the bouncer at the Shamukaar about the incident, and it seems this was a rival gang, not operating under Daask approval. The bouncer agrees to ‘care for’ the unconscious figures outside, though what this means is unclear…… The Wayfinders make it to Gudruun’s home without further incident, dodging a few shuffling undead along the way. They knock and meet a very eccentric one-eyed goblin, who apparently collects all manner of eye-related memorabilia and is independently-wealthy enough to support this hobby. He has drawers of glass eyes, shelves of preserved monster eyeballs in jars, a display of eyeglasses to fit creatures of every size, paintings and tapestries and sculptures of eyes... so many eyes. They ask him about the statue eye he bought at auction, and learn that it is *unavailable* at the moment due to an incident. It was in his back room, which functions as a storage room and warehouse…along with an exquisitely preserved beholder specimen. When the undead began to appear around the district, his beholder also was reanimated, and has been locked in the room ever since, Gudruun too fearful to enter yet unwilling to leave his home. The party agrees to take care of the issue, and bravely fights the beholder, plus several disturbingly-reanimated flying eyeballs of various origins. However, Tamiyah is petrified by one of the beholder’s eye rays. The others manage to defeat it, then carefully carry the very-heavy statue once known as Tamiyah back to the Wayfinder Foundation. There, they run into Ivello, preparing to leave on a mission to Zilargo the next day. They share their intended mission to Fallen, and the plight Tamiyah is in. Ivello says that he does not know anything about Fallen, but suggests that he has *medusa’s tears* obtained on a previous mission that may assist with the petrification. The team pours them over Tamiyah’s petrified form, and after an anxious moment, she is restored. After resting at the Foundation, the party encounters Ivello in the hallway once again. It appears as if he has not gotten much sleep. He relates that despite his words last night, he actually has personal ties to Fallen. He was actually in the district, then known as Godsgate, the day the Crystal Tower fell. His brother Thariv was in the tower itself, and died in the catastrophe. While he does not know any information to help the party, he does request that they keep an eye out for any traces of his brother, since he never knew what came of him. He shows them a necklace, star-shaped, that his brother would be wearing the twin of. The Wayfinders agree to keep an eye out, and set off to the district of Fallen. On the way there, the other party members inquire of Anyn about how they discovered about the tattoo. Anyn finally reveals some of the information they kept to themselves all this time. The party arrives in Fallen and visits the Church of the Silver Flame there. They meet Faela, a young missionary of the Silver Flame who ministers to the poor of this district. Delivering the pouch of gold from Drag, which contains a note that seems to displease Faela, she then helps them identify the tattoos that were reportedly on the men who assisted with a robbery. They belong to the Stone Keepers, a gang of half-mad ‘ravers’ who are commonly believed to have been driven insane by the memories and spirits of the dead in the district. Faela directs them to visit Colrac Hall, where the Stone Keepers seem to have set up their base. At Faela’s suggestion, the Wayfinders climb upon a low spot in the barricades that divide the ‘nicer’ sections of Fallen from the portions of the district that have been wholly abandoned to the ravers. While up there, they spy in the distance a band of a half-dozen ravers devouring some latest prey. Mollie and Tamiyah not-so-stealthily sneak up to spy on them, and end up attracting the attention of three of the ravers who follow them back to the barricades. Much to the party’s horror, one of the ravers turns out to be a powerful spellcaster with red glowing eyes. He begins pelting them with fireballs, which alerts the remaining ravers of the band to their presence as well. The Wayfinders take down one of the band, and another raver turns on their companion, apparently preferring the easy prey to the ones who fight back. In the nick of time, just before the Wayfinders fall unconscious and become fireball-roasted dinner for the ravers, the spellcaster is defeated, and the other ravers drag their body off and away. The party takes some time to recover and heal from their most grievous wounds, then continues past the barricades to Colrac Hall. The building has been half-destroyed by the impact of one of the spires of the Glass Tower, which now penetrates it and extends several stories up. There are signs of foot traffic regularly entering and leaving the hall, but it appears to stop in the middle of the entry hall, as if the Stone Keepers are entering and then disappearing. They encounter another hunting group of ravers, though this one appears less savage than the band that attacked them near the barricade--these ravers are hunting rats, not people. The leader of the band, in broken and simple Common, informs them that the Stone Keepers do not use a standard entrance to go higher in the building (into the spire of the old Glass Tower). "Stone Keepers not get up. They have gone dogs. Dogs here. Then dogs gone. Stone Keepers gone.” She agrees to lead them to an alternate entrance to the tower, though she warns it is dangerous. The Wayfinders find themselves in an old library, and in the far corner, a hole they can climb through into the tower. Before they make it there, however, they encounter an ancient hungry spirit that engages them in battle. During the encounter, when the spirit touches them, the Wayfinders experience glimpses of what seems to be the spirit’s own memories... "As the cry touches their ears, tendrils of fear, loathing, hunger, and memory wrap themselves around the Wayfinders' minds. They blink, and find themselves in another time, another place. Mollie stands in a fine room, walls of glass and green stone. At the doorway, a team of burly laborers slowly haul in a statue, 9 feet tall. They bring it to her feet, carefully standing it upright. Tamiyah watches a young half-elf man, long brown hair and green eyes. He wears a small necklace, shaped like a star. The half-elf runs into the room, glancing around in alarm. He reaches out his hands towards Tamiyah as if imploring her to stop. Anyn lowers their hands as if finishing a ritual. The statue's stone exterior slowly softens, beginning to take on a fleshy hue. Hallorn falls through the air, head over heels, the tower spinning around him. A shattering, an abrupt halt. Then, oblivion. Mollie blinks. Standing next to her and the statue, she sees a stocky human man, black hair, with a cold grin and a jagged scar on his right temple. He stretches out a hand towards a young half-elf with a star around his neck. The half-elf flies backwards across the room, cracking his head against a pillar." Then, Ekt turns the spirit, and it flees from them. Rather than pursue, the Wayfinders proceed on their way through the tower. It has fallen upside down and at an angle, so traversing it is challenging. They discover a row of what appear to be dog kennels, once enchanted with magic to prevent teleportation. Anyn and Hallorn recall that blink dogs have this ability. There is also a workshop and a bedroom, though they do not spend much time investigating. Coming across a large stone door, Ekt gives it a shove, but is unable to open it. The Wayfinders attempt to push it open again, only to find that the door was trapped, and a large pair of flagstones fall onto Ekt and Mollie, though they dodge the worst of the damage. They eventually come upon Stone Keepers coming and going – it appears that they are indeed using the blink dogs’ teleportation ability to jump between the ground floor and here. One of the ravers remains with the party, but they manage to make their friendly intentions clear enough and calm them enough to not provoke an immediate attack. They are ushered to outside a room where they hear a soft, rhythmic singsong chanting. Peeking inside, they see that the room was once a statue to the Balinor, but is now filled with pieces of shattered statues--icons gathered from across the broken district of Fallen. Amid the wreckage, one statue stands intact, a nine-foot figure of a beautiful, angelic man wearing flowing robes, one hand outstretched as if he is in the middle of casting a spell. It seems as if he might once have had wings, but all that's left now are jagged stumps covered with raw muscle and a few stony feathers. A tiny piece of the statue, where its left eye should be, seems to be missing. In front of the statue, a young man, hardly more than a child, and a large blink dog stand, their backs to the party. The boy gazes at the statue, murmuring to himself in a sing-song stream of consciousness. It is in Common, though the words seem nonsensical, despite the Wayfinders’ best efforts to understand them. The boy seems oblivious to their presence, so the party has a brief hushed discussion about what to do next. Before the discussion is resolved, however, Hallorn decides to take matters into his own hands, marching up to the statue and putting the eye piece in the missing spot on the face--it fits perfectly. The crack immediately begins to fades away, the eye becoming a seamless part of the greater whole. As in Anyn's earlier vision, the weathered white marble transitions to hues of skin and cloth. The statue's hard lines slowly fade to soft flesh. The ritual, previously interrupted on the brink of completion, continues. At the same time, the boy stops chanting in surprise. He whirls around to see them, his gaze wide in fear, his breathing rapid. "Please, don't hurt me!" he shies away from the Wayfinders. Ekt and Mollie fall under a strong charm and are overcome with an overwhelming urge to help the boy in any way possible. Ekt, fearing what may come of the boy when the statue comes to life, scoops up the boy and attempts to flee with him to safety. As he does so, suddenly, Ekt feels a shift, the boy's body growing taller, broader. A deeper voice speaks, "Unhand me!" Then, glimpsing the statue, he commands, "You must stop the ritual! It's a trap, the tower will fall!" Tamiyah and Mollie immediately recognize this man from their vision – it appears to be Ivello’s brother Thariv, who was in the tower when it fell, attempting to stop the ritual from being completed. The Wayfinders charge forward and begin attempting to shatter the statue, though its skin is already softening. Mollie and Tamiyah strike it with solid blows. Hallorn's orb collides with a thunderous blow. The attacks do not shatter the statue, as it has seemingly progressed too far towards life. However, the blows do land hard, and they at least have a glimmer of hope that the damage sustained might hamper this creature. Thariv picks up speed too, charging to attack alongside. A moment before his club impacts the statue, however, he reels back as if hitting an invisible wall. He freezes. Glances around in panic from side to side. Then, as they watch, his form shifts again. A tall human stands before the party, an imposing man, with piercing brown eyes, a firm jaw and arrogant mouth. His black hair is closely cropped. He bellows, "STOP, fools! On your knees before your Lord, and he may yet grant mercy!!!" He inclines his head in respect to the statue. Ekt and Mollie, still being under the creature’s charm, bow in reverence as the statue’s flesh grows warm and the heart begins to beat. Once made from polished white marble, the nine-foot figure still stands with one hand outstretched as if he is in the middle of casting a spell. But now, his flesh is soft and warm. His heart beats. As his life is restored, he continues with the action he began a century ago, casting a spell. The room fills with a sickening green glow, and everyone in the room begins taking damage and suffering exhaustion. This snaps Mollie out of her charm, and she subsequently boxes Ekt’s ears to jolt him out of it as well. Ekt continues to grovel in an attempt to save his life, while Mollie and Anyn hope to encourage everyone to escape. Tamiyah would join them, but the cult leader commands she bow to the radiant figure before them. Hallorn decides to try flattery. “"My lord! I praise your name! I praise your air! I praise the ground upon which you stand! I am in Awe, my lord of your power! Of your Majesty! Of your beneficence! I ask you my lord! Spare these unbelievers so they may spread into the city with stories of your power and might!" The godlike figure barely spares Anyn a glance as they flee for the exit. "Junius, deal with the unbelievers." He flicks his wrist, as if bored, then turns to inspect the grovelling half-elf who just spoke behind him. A ring of fire suddenly flares up around Anyn's feet, wreathing them, the Stone Keeper, and blink dog in flame. It surrounds the exit from floor to ceiling, and extending to the floor below as well. At the same time, the fog cloud filling the room evaporates. Anyn dodges the worst of the flames. The Stone Keeper and blink dog are not so lucky. Caught in the ring as well, they wail loudly as they collapse to the ground, a pungent smell of burnt hair and flesh filling the room. Turning to Hallorn, the figure muses, his voice musical and dripping in condescension. "This one interests me. He has a silver tongue in his head. He pleads for his life quite well. Says just the right things, but does he believe, I wonder? Tell me, mortal. Who are you and what has transpired here?" Meanwhile, Mollie attempts to attack Junius the cult leader, but he blankets her mind in confusion. Hallorn responds with more praise, "O Light of my existence! Bringer of truths untold! Omniscent omnissiah! I beg your favor as your wakener! If these unilluminated nonbelievers perish here, who will carry your word far and wide? Let them tremble and scurry as rats before your brilliance so that they may speak of your glory in all corners of the globe! O morning star, o glorious light, I have beheld your immensity! I have worked unknown to see your will fulfilled and your life returned unto you! O lord! O master! While these others were content to worship at the foot of a stone statue, only I worked to make you whole once more! And now you stand, made divinely flesh again!" Junius starts at this accusation. "Lord Sythrael, he lies. I have labored unceasingly for your return. If these dogs escape, the Lords of Dust will surely learn you walk the earth once more." Sythrael does not spare Junius a glance. He is intrigued by the groveling Hallorn-dust at his feet. "And now that I am restored to glory, what of you? What would you do for your Lord?" Hallorn continues his groveling. "I shall sing your praises to all that would hear them, my lord! I shall speak of the glories and see that others have seen you as I do! But a mercy, my lord, for an audience is needed to hear of your wonders! Finally, O dawnstar, I have some skill with arcanery and perhaps! I may find a way to undo your curse!" The party pleads for Sythrael to have mercy. The radiant idol surveys the room: The frightened Wayfinders, waiting with bated breath to hear their fate. The Stone Keeper and blink dogs lying dead, flesh sizzling against the burning marble. His own second-in-command, Junius. His gaze passes over them as if they are specks of dust. The radiant idol smiles down at Hallorn. "You still have your doubts, I see. Those will be purged from you. In time. You've a gift for wordplay that I will make use of. I shall give you a gift for your honeyed words, and for your groveling. To prove the truth of the lies you tell. For I am magnanimous, and merciful, and benevolent." He reaches down a gracious hand to raise him to his feet. "You will be coming with us." A heartbeat, a blinding flash of light, and Sythrael, Junius and Hallorn vanish. The ring of fire vanishes. The remaining weight on their minds vanish. The stunned Wayfinders, minus one sorcerer, are left in an empty room. Having no other recourse, the party spends some time bandaging their wounds, then slowly makes their way back out. The hungry spirit that they encountered earlier in the library is not there, but as they slip out of the building, they see it disappearing around a corner and out of sight, freely wandering the streets of Fallen now. They return to the Foundation, and arrange a meeting with Priscilla to update her on the outcome of their mission. Priscilla is predictably less than pleased at not only losing the hand and eye, but all chance to study the statue at all. However, she is glad to have her own curiosity satisfied regarding Priscilla’s research, and she is highly concerned that Morgrave not learn of any involvement she may have had in unleashing a radiant idol upon Sharn. The Wayfinder Foundation receives its agreed upon payment in return for the discretion of the Wayfinders. Epilogue Throwing back the drapes, the towering figure watches a billow of dust burst into the room. Sunlight streams through the specks floating in the air, revealing a room that once was opulent, but has fallen to ruin. The upholstery has rotted away from the furniture. The walls are streaked with water damage. Over everything lies a thick layer of dust, as if the room has not been touched in many decades. “This is where it begins anew. We shall rebuild, gathering the faithful to our merciful glory. And when the time is right, we shall strike at our ancient foes, rain destruction down upon their heads.” He turns to the two forms prostrate before him. “You, Junius…if you continue to serve me well, I will graciously reward you full dominion over this empty shell you inhabit. And you, Hallorn… you will be more powerful than you imagine, effortlessly controlling magic and men alike. Now, I give you leave to rise to your feet and serve.” ------------------------------------------------- He stands, taking in his new surroundings. He will have to be very careful now, treading the fine line between obedient servant and outright madness. His next steps will have to be very careful. His silver tongue has gotten him this far. Now he will need time to plant seeds…seeds of doubt and recrimination. He will take his mastery of illusion and charm out into the world on behalf of his "master" and find new acolytes for him. They will be carefully selected for loyalty--to him first, Sythrael second. With any luck, when the time comes, he will send word to his former companions with information about his lord--information on its location, plans, and, Host willing, its weaknesses. But that is for the future--today, survival is paramount. ------------------------------------------------- She kneels in an abandoned church, head bowed, fingers brushing a simple silver arrowhead suspended from her neck. Unmoving for what seems an eternity, the only sign of life is the rising and falling of her chest beneath simple grey robes. A gentle whisper, a prayer. “Those who claim to live by the light but who look down on the lost worship darkness. Those who stand against the darkness are of the Flame. And those who stand in darkness are born of it.” She rises, speaking to the emptiness. “For those I have wronged, I seek forgiveness. For those I have lost, I seek absolution. Once more, I sacrifice one life for many. Tonight, I move from darkness to light.” She makes her way through streets of rubble as if led by a dream. She walks unscathed, the inhabitants of the district paying her no mind. Passing under an archway of two crossed shards of glass, she disappears into the darkness beyond.Category:Expedition